Illyrian and medieval castles in Albania could be soon
turned into bars and restaurants according to a government plant to
lease cultural monuments to local businessmen.

According to the plan unveiled in late January by the head of Albania’s
Institute of Monuments, Apollon Bace, some 40 monuments would be
leased for a period of up to 100 years, mainly because the government
is unable to preserve them.

Bace says detailed plans for the use of these monuments will determine
which parts of them are suitable for commercial activities and which
parts should not be touched.

Rich with monuments dating back to Roman times, Albania has struggled
for years to preserve them properly, as government after government
failed to invest enough in restoration.

However, the proposal, which could be acted on as soon as next month,
has drawn a fierce response from historians, archeologist and
architects, some of whom accuse the authorities of failing to safeguard
the nation’s heritage.

They point to the fact that two castles privatized under the previous
Socialist government have not been preserved properly, and they argue
that other monuments could have the same fate if the latest government
proposal is finalized.

“That the state is rejecting its responsibilities for cultural heritage
and transferring this responsibility to private hands is testimony to
the collapse of state institutions,” he added.

Bace, from the Institute of Monuments, declined to be interviewed for
this story, but Enton Derraj, an adviser to the Minister of Culture
said the accusations made against the project were politically
motivated.

“Any interventions in these monuments will be carried out in accordance
with the international treaty on restoration of cultural monuments,”
Derraj said.

The ruins of the Illyrian castle of Akrolisit, close to the town of
Lezha were leased ten years ago to a local businessman, Gjovalin
Kadeli, now a Socialist MP in parliament.

For the past decade the ruins have housed a number of mobile phone
antennae built on a concrete platform, which preservation specialists
say has damaged the site.

However, Kadeli defends his investment, arguing that what he bought was only a ruin, so talking of a “castle” makes no sense.

“I bought it lawfully and there was no castle there, just a two-
metre-high wall, which they call a castle,” he said. The antennae have
been put up on a hill and not on “the castle,” Kadelli added.

The medieval castle of Lekurs, close to Saranda, has also been the
object of controversy after it was leased 12 years ago. The new owners
restored it but also added a bar and a restaurant.

Cultural heritage specialist have complained repeatedly about the
restoration of the monument, now owed by Vangjel Tavo, an MP for the
Socialist Movement for Integration.

Lulzim Iljazi, manager of the Lekurs castle and its bar and restaurant,
dismisses complaints that the monument has not been properly
preserved. The accusers just want the castle for themselves, he says.

“We have worked a lot on this castle and everything has been done to preserve its historical value,” Iljazi said.

Gjergj Frasheri, a well known Albania archeologist, says that what has
happened with leased out cultural monuments in the past should serve as
a lesson.

He believes transferring more monuments to private hands will be a
mistake as Albanians are notorious for carrying out building work for
which they have no planning permission.

“Albania is a country of [hundreds of thousand] of buildings built
without permits, where neither the state nor the law punishes people
who build illegally,” Frasheri noted.

“Damage to monuments damages our historical record, and it is irreparable and unrecoverable,” he added.

Auron Tare, historian and former director of the Butrint Archeological Park, agrees.

“If the authorities cannot even control two single projects, the
question is how will they be able to control more monuments?” he asked.